By Emma Amaize

ASABA- ELDER statesman‎ and Member of the Nomadic Commission set up by the Federal Government, Prof B I C Ijomah, yesterday, said the move to compulsorily acquire land in other parts of the country for cattle rearers was an old plan of the cattle Fulanis to take over Nigeria.

Prof Ijomah, who spoke to Vanguard in Asaba, said the cattle Fulanis were one ethnic group in Nigeria and not all Fulanis were cattle rearers.

His words: “Let me caution that cattle rearing is an occupation of one ethnic group. Any attempt to legislate so that the cattle Fulani be given a legal authority to move into every town in Nigeria and acquire land against the wishes of the people will backfire.”

“The legal backing might bring Nigeria to an end. It is an attempt to give the Fulani grazing rights in every part of Nigeria, in spite of their ‎condemnable atrocities in different parts of the country.

“As a member of the Nomadic Commission for sometime, we did everything to domesticate the cattle Fulanis. We even wrote books in Fulfude language, which we used to teach these nomadic Fulanis in schools set up by the Commission,” he said.

Prof Ijomah asserted: “The school is a success so far but the nomadic Fulanis do not want to settle down in one place, so that they can go to school and be domesticated.”

He stated: “The attempt to have grazing field in every part of Nigeria shows that the Federal Government is sponsoring one occupation as a national occupation. ”

“Federal Government should know that it is wrong to throw it’s weight behind one profession. The cattle Fulanis by their nature cannot settle in one place, and therefore, cannot be domesticated.

“And Federal has no right to take one profession among many professions in the country. We have the migrant fishermen in the South and also in the North. The government has not considered it necessary to acquire strategic waters in the country so that fishermen could do their job,” he said.

Prof Ijomah asserted: “I see the move to acquire land compulsorily for only one profession (cattle rearing) as dangerous. Will the Federal Government also acquire rivers and streams wherever necessary so that fishermen in the North and in the South can have fishing rights.”

“No, I think this is another step by the Fulanis to expand to other parts of Nigeria. I recall the struggles of the Fulanis with the Birom people in the North, in Plateau state; they struggled with the indigenous population in Nasarawa, now by their current record they have occupied Bukuru and driven away the indigenous settlers. What happened in Agatu is planned to drive away the indigenous settlers and take the whole place in the name of cattle rearing,” he said.

The South- South leader said the method of operation of the cattle rearers was an insult to Nigeria and urged President Muhammadu Buhari, who is from the ethnic group to show a sense of nationalism by speaking out.

“The President must show a sense of nationalism. He cannot keep silent and pretend that he does not know what is going on. Other ethnic groups in the North, in the Yoruba communities, in the Igbo territories are watching and will react accordingly very soon,” he added.